Medical devices for surgical procedures such as lipoplasty typically include a handpiece that allow surgeons to easily hold and manipulate the medical device when using the device during a medical procedure. Medical devices used in lipoplasty include ultrasonic probe assemblies and cannulas.
Ultrasonic probes are available in different shapes and sizes for emulsifying adipose tissue in different parts of the body. An ultrasonic driver assembly is typically included within a handpiece with various probes able to be connected to the ultrasonic driver and handpiece. The probes are typically threaded on one end and engage threads on the ultrasonic driver. When engaging the probe with the driver the probe is tightened to ensure good mechanical coupling. During tightening, the ultrasonic driver assembly may rotate within the handpiece causing wires that power the assembly to twist. Repeated rotation of the ultrasonic driver assembly to connect and disconnect various probes results in broken wires and shorting of the ultrasonic driver assembly.
Medical devices that are reused, such as handpieces, must be sterilized before each use. Sterilization typically is performed using steam within a pressurized autoclave. The steam kills microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. After the sterilization process, a dry cycle is performed to eliminate any trapped moisture that remains from the steam, such as may occur within a handpiece with an ultrasonic driver assembly. Medical professionals do not always follow the appropriate procedures to ensure that all of the trapped moisture is removed during the dry cycle. The resulting condensation from the trapped humidity may create corrosion problems or other damage to electrical or other components of the medical device.
Embodiments of the present invention have been made in light of these and other considerations. However, the relatively specific problems discussed above do not limit the applicability of the embodiments of the present invention.